SINGAPORE — For the first time since 2009, UEFA Champions League and Europa League matches will be shown live on both pay-TV channels in Singapore and no longer only on Singtel, who have had exclusive hold on the properties for the past seven seasons.

Both telcos had reportedly put in a joint-bid this year in an attempt to avoid a bidding war, but they were outsmarted by Eurosport.

In May, the Discovery Communications-owned channel secured exclusive media rights to the two European competitions for three seasons—starting with the 2015/2016 edition—and immediately announced they would make them available to the rival Singapore telcos.

The live broadcasts will kick off with the UEFA Super Cup match between Barcelona and Sevilla on Aug 12 at 2.45 am (Singapore time) on Singtel’s channel 112 and StarHub’s 212.

“We take pride in the breadth of our sports offering and … being sports fans at heart ourselves, our priority is to provide a viewing experience befitting of the two tournaments’ world class stature,” said StarHub chief marketing officer Howie Lau, on the return of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League to the pay-TV channel after a lapse of seven years.

Added Goh Seow Eng, the telco’s managing director for home and consumer Singapore: “The Eurosport channels are a valuable addition to the Singtel TV suite as they carry marquee UEFA football league matches in addition to a wealth of premium sport content … Singtel TV aims to offer unsurpassed quality in sports entertainment, and the new additions further complete our offering in this area.”